Matthew 5:1-12 (NRSV)
Read Matthew 5:1-12 on biblegateway.com
Chapter 5When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Verse 2Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:
Verse 3"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Verse 4"Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Verse 5"Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Verse 6"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Verse 7"Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. Verse 8"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Verse 9"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Verse 10"Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Verse 11"Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Verse 12Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Devotion
In these verses which we call the Beatitudes, Jesus pronounces as “blessed” people whom we would not normally consider blessed. Can a pronouncement do that? I would not recommend going up to someone who has lost a loved one and is in mourning and pronouncing them blessed. It might not be well received. What Jesus’ statements do is to allow people to look upon all of these various circumstances or roles from a different perspective. They become a window into a different world—that of the soul, the spiritual, the kinds of things that Jesus came to say and to do. They are an invitation to reframe what can define nearness to God.
Pronouncements can be powerful, like the pronouncements made over us in baptism: You are God’s child. You are forgiven, freed, loved, and set to walk a new path in life!
Prayer
God of surprising presence, when we hear these words of Jesus, we may think that we don’t want to be blessed in the ways Jesus calls “blessed.” Help us to enter these situations, challenges, and trials from your perspective, and shape our wills in accordance with yours. Amen.
Interested in digging deeper into today’s text?
Read more here.